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Here at AnimationCareerReview, we love hearing about new or unique animation courses from our readers. One such program that was recently brought to our attention is Futurepoly, a digital arts training studio that is tailored to video game development. Founded by Jason Stokes, a concept artist from an acclaimed Seattle game studio, the training studio boasts an enviable list of artist instructors who address common needs of both the industry and aspiring game artists alike.

Washington State is home to some of the coolest cities in the U.S. Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma are just a few. While the state is pretty well stocked in the cool cities department, Seattle holds the crown for art and culture. The city is home to top art museums such as Seattle Art Museum, Frye Art Museum, Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) and Henry Art Gallery of the University of Washington. Seattle also houses some of the country’s most creative street art as well as a variety of art centers such as Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle Creative Arts Center and Fremont Abbey Arts Center.

The Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) was one of the world’s first schools to offer advanced degrees in Video Game Programming and Game Art & Design when it was founded in 1996. Based in Australia with three campuses Down Under, the school recently crossed the Pacific to open two additional campuses in the United States.

The State of Washington is home to some of the country’s coolest cities. Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane and Vancouver are just a few. Head to Seattle, where you will find a variety of major art venues such as Seattle Art Museum (SAM), Frye Art Museum, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and Olympic Sculpture Park. In Tacoma, digital art studios dot the landscape along with top museums such as Tacoma Art Museum. Even smaller cities such as Bellingham—the last major city before the Washington coastline meets the Canadian border, and Redmond (population 59,285) have something to offer. The Arts Commission, The Downtown Art Walk, and the Whatcom Museum are popular Bellingham attractions, while the Redmond Arts Commission features theatrical productions in the park, concerts at City Hall, and more than 100 public art displays by local and regional artists.

The video game industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. In fact, according to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and Economists Incorporated, the game industry is growing four times faster than the U.S. economy and annual job growth increased more than 13 times the rate of the U.S. labor market between 2009 and 2012. Further, the industry generated more than $93 billion in sales in 2013 and more than $110 billion in 2015.

While console games have continued to do well, mobile gaming and online gaming are expected to experience the largest amount of growth. In addition to a shift in the way America plays games, the players themselves have changed, and so has the number of people that indulge regularly. Around 67 percent of U.S. households play video games and according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the average age of these players is 34. The most frequent game purchaser is often around 39 and in 2010, 49 percent of gamers were 18 to 49 years of age. Twenty-six percent were over 50. Finally, just 25 percent of gamers were under 18 and around two out of every five players are female.